Caught a Cold
by coli narago
Summary: nonslash - movie world - Munich. Ed has contracted an unknown and deadly disease. Alphonse Heidrich and Noah try to take care of him, but the doctor has just about no hope for his survival. Rated T for safety. Updated! Chapter 4 and 5 are up!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, guys. This is my first FMA story, so I hope it's good. It's ll from Alphonse Heidrich's POV.

**Prologue**

Heidrich's POV

The sound of footfalls in the living room interrupted my reading, and I looked up from my book. "Hey, Noah? Wy don't you only set two places at the table tonight." Ed said to the gypsy in he kitchen. "I'm not feeling too good, so I'm not going to be eating."

"No? Well I hope you feel better soon." I replied, and returned to the American science fiction I had been reading, after I watched my friend retreat to his bedroom.

Later that night, Ed hadn't so much as made a sound, so Noah and I had assumed he was sleeping. It turns out we were right, because as I creaked his bedroom door open with his tray of dinner, I could hear his light snoring. He must have really felt awful, because his prosthetic limbs – automail, I had to remind myself - were still strewn across the floor, and I knew he would never do anything, especially go to bed, without cleaning and then putting them away on a regular basis.

The clink of metal on wood, as I placed the tray on his little table. I stepped back, careful not to wake Ed with loud steps, but tripped over the rubber-covered leg behind me. Grabbing onto the desk chair to catch myself and stepping back loudly, I accidentally sent a pile of books crashing to the ground.

"Hmm? Alphonse?" Edward mumbled from the bed behind me.

"Sorry, about that, Ed. I left dinner on your table." I bent to pick up the pile of books up and place them back on the desk.

"Not hungry, but thanks, though. And don't worry about the books, I'll take care of them in the morning." I simply nod and back out of the room – successfully this time – and shut the door silently as he starts snoring softly again. I then went to join Noah by the radio in the living room.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you reviewers! I'm posting another chappy today as it seems, and I'm sorry about he poor quality of the last one, but I wrote it in science class between notes, lol. I'll try harder this time, I promise.

Heidrich's POV

The birds sang and the summer's morning light sifted in though my curtains onto the floor. Through the door, I could smell the mouth-watering scents of bacon and eggs. Now, if that's not incentive to wake up, I don't know what is. Quickly I chose a shirt and pair of pants to wear, and laced up my black shoes.

In the kitchen, as expected, was Noah cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Noah. Mmm, that smells great." I lean over the stove to sniff he pan, and she playfully swats me away.

"Good morning. Why don't you go get edward? He isn't up yet."

"No? Huh. He's usually the first one awake." And then I remembered e wasn't feeling well last night. Yes, that must be it.

"Ed, come on, now." I pushed his door open and stepped in. I immediately knew that not all was well. His soup was full and cold on the table, the sandwich untouched. Even more suspicious, the books and even prosthetic limbs were still littering the hardwood floor.

"Hey, Ed." I stepped even farther into the room, and p my hand on his shoulder, giving him a little shake. "Come on, buddy. Wakey wakey time. Noah's got breakfast cooking. Bacon and eggs." I allowed myself a small chuckle, knowing that he'd never be able to resist that.

"Hm? I'm gonna skip, Alphonse. Still not feeling too good." Edward? Not want breakfast? He must really feel like crap to skip on food.

"Okay, well holler if you need anything." The door shut behind me.

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"That was really good, Noah. Don't worry, I'll clean up."

"Okay, thanks. I'm just going to go downstairs to visit Gracia for awhile. I'll be back soon." And with that, the gypsy was out the door.

I snuck a peek at the clock: almost ten o'clock. Good thing today is Sunday, because I'd definitely be late for work by now if it wasn't. By the time the dishes were all washed, dried, and put away into their respective cabinets, it was almost eleven and Edward hadn't made a single sound. And with walls this thin, I would hear if hear so much as turned over.

"Edward? You in there?" Again, I slowly pushed the door open, and stepped in.

This didn't look good, this didn't look good at all.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you reviewers for your comments, encouragement and constructive criticism. It's my incentive to write. Also, I have decided what Ed has, and I hope I get the symptoms right, though if I don't then someone please tell me. Also, I'm sorry for the wait, but I've been on homework overload. Besides, finals are in two weeks. Thank you all for your patience!

Sathreal: Thanks for your review. I'm sorry the chapters are so short, but I tend to write in short chapter frequently rather than long chapters occasionally. I suppose I could skip a few days and put a few chapters in one, though. :) And I'll work on my detail.

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Edward's POV

The pain in my stomach had just redoubled, to the point where I was now on my right side in bed, clutching the left with both hands. It had started as simple ache a few days ago, which I thought was just a side effect of something I may have eaten. Then last night, I it turned into a real stomach ache and I skipped dinner. By this morning, I couldn't get out of bed, because it was too excruciating.

A slight moan of pain slipped out from between my lips and I curled up a bit, just from reflexes. Just then, I heard my bedroom door creak open and I heard Alphonse enter. "Edward? You in there?"

Alphonse's POV

Edward was tangled in is blankets, like he'd been turning around a lot, and could have sworn he'd just let out a moan, though I'm not sure. "Edward? Are you okay?" What a stupid question! Of course he's not okay! He's curled in ball and moaning in pain! "Ed?" I put a hand on his shoulder and it seized for moment before I could get him to roll over.

Edward was the kind of guy who never let any kind of fear whatsoever, and who would never want any sort of hurt to show at all. I could tell that wished I wasn't letting so much concern for his health drench his voice, but screw him. Just because he likes to be an unemotional wall, doesn't mean I have to.

I put my hand on his forehead. He was burning up more than I'd ever felt anyone be before. "It'll be okay, Edward. I'll call for a doctor." And with that, I sprinted out into the living room, turning directly to my right and almost skidding on the living room floor. Reaching for the phone and dialing at the same time, I managed to mess he number up. I was finally successful the second time as another, louder, moan emanated from Ed's bedroom.

"Yes, doc, we have a big problem. Edward. Yes, he was feeling alright a few days ago. No, he skipped his last two meals because of a stomach ache. He's in bed, and is burning up. Curled up in pain. Thank you, Doctor." He would be here in just a moment.

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"What is it exactly that hurts so much?" The doctor had sent one of his apprentices, and at first I wasn't sure if he'd be able to diagnose and treat something this internally painful. Then again, it is one of his most intelligent and trusted.

"Left side of my stomach." Edward moaned in reply, finally siting up so that Cain Fury could examen him. He was shirtless, propped up on the bed with his back to the wall, with an expression of sheer agony on his face.

Cain continued the examination and finally a grave expression swept across his face. "I know what is wrong, and I'm afraid it's not good." He was speaking directly to the man in front of him, ignoring me. "Do you mind if I tell you when Alfons is here?"

"I don't care. I'd tell him anyway." I suddenly felt my face flush red with guilt. I hadn't told him about my consumption... and Cain knew it.

The apprentice took a deep breath. "Your appendix has burst."

"Well, that can be fixed with a surgery, right?" I knew that my voice was more than tainted with worry, without any real attempt to hide it. "I mean ,it's a serious surgery, but we can still do it."

"No, Mr. Heidrich. The surgery is when we catch the inflamation before the organ this case, it has already happened. The toxins are already in his blood, and I'm afraid there is nothing I, or anyone, can do."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I know, it's been forever. And i probably have none of my original readers left, but if I do, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here is the next chapter.

Alfons shuffled through the kitchen and checked his watch. Four o'clock. This was the third night in a row he'd woken up before the sun because of the sound in the next room. How Noah slept through it all, he'd never know.

It was clear that Edward was getting progressively worse. He'd never want to show it, but he was going to get less independent, and more and more dependent on Alfons and Noah, in the very near future.

Yesterday, I had come home from the factory to find up, moving around, looking for a certain book and stack of notes. At first, the scene was hopeful. He was up!

... Then of course he had to go and collapse in the middle of the living room floor.

Ed was a soldier in the Amestris military since he was twelve, and had seen the effects of the war in his own home village from a very young age. Of course he was tough enough to put up with a little pain. Or a lot of pain.

A moan came through Edward's bedroom door.

Yeah, a lot of pain.

Alfons still remembered the conversation he had with Cain Fury, as he had led him to the door.

"There's nothing at all? You'r sure?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Heidrich. All I can say is what I've already told you. The only thing that could save him would be a blood transplant, and they're dangerous and uncertain. Of this scale, it would be impossible. I'm sorry." With that, he place his hat on his head and stepped out the door.

Alfons looked at the window, into the dark streets of Munich. The rain pelted down, coating the streets, the buildings, the windows. He turned, looking at the empty table. Absentmindedly, he checked his was one more time. 4:30.

Normally, Edward would be up and at 'em by now, studying so hard you could almost see the wheels in his head turning. Or laying on his back on the couch, with that far off look on his face, like he was straight from a Sherlock Holmes novel. It was times like those that Alfons knew that he was thinking of his brother.

Nobody knew for sure how long somebody lived after their appendix burst, and so no one knew for a fact how much longer Edward had to live. Blood transfusion was difficult, risky, and uncertain as to if it would even work. For the most part, even scientists were in the dark.

But what could be so confusing about it? You take bad blood out, you put good blood in. What's there to understand?

He is a rocket scientist after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Alfons turned the corner in the chemistry lab in his Munich factory, dropping loose papers everywhere as he nearly ran into Roa. "Mr. Heidrich! It's a surprise to see you back." He seemed nothing short of ecstatic to see his coworker return to the workplace as he handed him a few of the wayward notes.

"Its good to be back." He took the notes, making his way over to one of the various tables in the room. "Thanks."

"I assume this means Mr. Elric's health has improved?" Roa sounded hopeful, but he didn't understand the seriousness of the situation- no one was told just how serious the condition was.

"I'm afraid not. Noah's taking care of him today, so I can come to work." Alfons began sifting though the papers and books in from of him. Glancing behind him, he saw that his companion's whole face had dropped a level or two.

"Of course. I _was_ wondering at why you are in the chemistry lab, and not in your department. I'm assuming your just picking up some work for Mr. Elric." Alfons made a noise that said something like _'right on the money'_. "With him being the head of our chemistry department, and by far being the best among them, I'm afraid we're way behind schedule. Because we couldn't find the right fuels in time for Mr. Oberth's deadline, that pushed the designers back, as you would know. Now even in construction were running out of things to do."

The shorter one looked up at him. "September's project?" A nod. "If we can't complete the prototype rocket by January, we'll lose Dr. Obeth's funding. The factory included."

"I know. And it doesn't look like we're going to make the deadline if we can't get a stronger type of fuel. That's Edward's job. If he doesn't recover in time for it, then our chemists here will never get it done. Just between you and me, he's the only capable one we've got."

Alfons sat in a nearby chair, looking at the floor.

"Mr. Heidrich? Are you alright? You know, it's not the end of the world. We'll keep building this one like we did the demonstration rocket that got us the funding in the first place."

"The funding isn't even the biggest problem right now."

"Huh? Then what is?"

"Can you keep it from the rest of the team?"

"I wouldn't normally keep that kind of promise, Mr. Heidrich." Roa stood up straighter, eyeing the team director quizzically.

"It's not about the work itself."

"Then what in God's name is it, man? Spit it out already!" Alfons looked up at him, straight in the face, and Roa nearly fell backwards from the intensity of his gaze. "Yeah, I think I can keep a secret."

"I don't think Edward's coming back to work."

"Is he going to another factory?"

"No, you don't get it." His friend looked at him expectantly.

"I don't think he's going to survive this."

A look of shock registered on Roa's face.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma Bragdon

"Alfons! What a surprise, come in, come in." Cain Fury was a short man, and probably just a couple of years older than Alfons himself. His short black hair was a mess, and his large-rimmed glasses were left askew on his nose.

Obviously, he wasn't expecting visitors. He couldn't have been sleeping, could he? No, not in the middle of the afternoon.

"I'm sorry to just drop in on you like this. Noah was on the phone, and you know how long women can talk," Alfons joked. He was lying of course. His real reason for not calling from the apartment was that the phone was right next to Edward's room, and he still didn't know about his condition. Whatever it was, nobody was even sure.

As Alfons walked past Fury, he noticed the suspicious look on his face. There was no way he just believed that.

"You haven't told them yet, have you?"

"No." Alfons sighed in resignation and sunk into a plush armchair, surveying his surroundings. The apartment was small, much smaller than the one he shared with Edward and Noah. books lined the walls in giant stacks, and the bookshelf n the corner was nearly empty, with just a few books on the bottom shelf. Upon closer inspection, all of the their titles started with letters later in the alphabet. Fury must have been organizing them when Alfons intruded.

"Anything I can help you with?" the doctor's apprentice asked, feeding the fire in the fireplace a little more wood and finally taking a seat across from the young scientist.

"Yeah. I'm not sure whether or not I'm really helping or not..."

"Come again?"

"I've been attempting to give Edward blood transfusions." When he noticed Fury's shocked face he continued quickly. "None of the doctors in the city would do it for him. They all said that it was too expensive or risky, or that they would 'waste their precious materials' on someone who is doomed to die. I even made some calls hospitals in Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne. They all said the same thing. They wouldn't even try to save someone with a burst appendix." There was a trace of desperation in his voice. "What was I supposed to do? Just let him die?"

Cain watched his visitor thoughtfully for a moment. Alfons could see the gears turning in his head. Finally, he spoke. "Well, I can see where they're coming from. The doctor I work for would never allow the hospital to support that kind of surgery. With an economy like this, a war just ended, another one seemingly on the way and a ton of unrest still everywhere, you can never really be sure when you'll need every bit of medical equipment you can get your hands on.

"Even still, a full-body blood transfusion is still considered experimental. While a good doctor can manages a pint or two of blood, a transfusion on such a large scale is extremely dangerous right now. Most of them are done in labs for research, not in hospital."

"Full-body?" Alfons asked, surprise drenching his voice. "So small amounts at a time won't do it?"

"No, is that what your were doing?"

"Yes, I assumed it would dilute the toxins in the blood until it was all clean."

"No, it will only poison the rest of the blood."

Alfons sighed. For once in his life, he hadn't done enough research beforehand. Normally he wouldn't go into a situation without looking at everything from every different possible angle.

But Fury wasn't done talking yet. "In theory, full-body transfusions shouldn't be that hard. There are several ways to do it, though t is slightly time consuming. I would have suggested doing one, but I don't have any of the materials necessary. Well, at least not without stealing them."

"I have the materials."

"What?" Cain looked like he was mildly shocked.

"Well, most of them. I can et anything I'm missing.

"How could you possibly do that? Even I can't get them."

"I work in a science laboratory, remember. Between the factory and the university, I can get my hands on just about anything. Especially when I tell people that I'm picking it up for Edward, who works in the chemistry department, then it's extremely easy. With your knowledge, we could probably make this work."

Fury just nodded, standing up in his chair and looking around at the Mount Everest of books. Finally, his gaze settled on a particular stack of volumes with titles about medicine of different sorts. Pulling out a few (and sending many more flying), he came back and set them on the small coffee table.

"Here,

There was a feeling swimming around in Alfons' stomach. It was a little emotion, growing slowly stronger until it filled his whole body. A little like happiness, and a little more like anxiety, Alfons finally pinned down what it was. It was hope. A hope that Edward just might, maybe, if everything was done right, and he prayed, and had a lot of luck no his side to boot, have a almost insignificantly small chance at survival.

It was more than he had five minutes ago.


End file.
